Meet Lori Soard

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lori Soard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lori, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I come from a long line of fierce Appalachian women. There were 10 brothers and sisters in my mom’s family. My grandfather was a coal miner and died of black lung when my mom was still a child. My strong and faithful grandmother finished raising most of the kids alone in a place where there weren’t job opportunities and a time when there weren’t programs to help. She managed to raise all of those kids to adulthood and every single one became a productive and decent member of society. I listened to the stories, watched my parents’ work ethic and was lucky enough to have my grandmother into my 30s and learn from her.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I write in several genres. By day, I’m a professional copywriter, web designer and social media manager. My books are in Christian romance, suspense, children’s and non-fiction. I’m excited to jump back into the historical romance game with an upcoming release called ANNA’S FRESH START. The setting is just after the Civil War. Anna has a big secret to hide that could change the way her new husband feels about her, how the townspeople see her and if her family disowns her. It will be part of the Brides of Pelican Rapids series. I am also completing the final book in my Cupid’s Crossing series. The whole town is coming together for Gracie and Brandt’s wedding. Finally, I’m releasing some kids’ books later in the year along with a new mini-series style set of books inspired by a good friend who is a cover artist. I snatched up the covers because I loved them and will write the books later this year.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I love stories. My parents always read me books, made up little tales at bedtime and my family sat around and told tales. The creativity of the written and spoken word contributed to the stories running through my mind all the time. I also developed two qualities while in school that have served me well. The first is determination. I don’t quit. I just find another way to go at something or I keep learning and trying until I master it. I didn’t give up when my first book received a rejection. I just kept on writing. The second trait is the ability to take criticism. I developed this in college and while working as a stringer for my local newspaper in my early 20s. Wow! That editor would rip my work to SHREDS. He’d hand it back (everything was printed and written in ink back then), tell me to go make it better and rinse and repeat. I had to develop a tough skin and it has paid off. I never feel I am the best writer there is. There’s always something new to learn and I crave and seek feedback. When I get a bad review, I ask myself if there is something to learn from it. If they suggested an area I can see needs improvement, then I work on it going forward. I also have some great editors for my day job. While the style of copywriting is different than fiction, I am still learning skills I can apply to both.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I was chatting with another Gen-Xer today about how frazzled I feel sometimes. We laughed over how we use the word “frazzled,” but I love the sound of it and it defines that overwhelmed feeling of having too much to do, not enough hours and not being able to focus the way you want on any one thing. We came to the conclusion that we make our own crazy and fill up our empty hours too frequently.

One thing I’ve done in recent years is setting aside one day a week where I don’t work. I don’t check business emails unless they say “urgent” or “emergency,” which my clients know and can use if they really need me. I don’t write or design sites or do anything but relax, read, maybe watch a television show.

Years ago, I taught a course based on Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” The thing that stuck with me is how critical it is to refill our creative wells. If you constantly create art and burn the candle at both ends, your well will eventually run dry and you’ll get writer’s block. Instead, take that day each week. Go for a walk, visit an art museum, read your favorite book, turn on some music and dance, or do the thing that makes your heart sing. When you just have fun, your creative well overflows and you’ll burst at the seams with new ideas.

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